Girl, 11, raped in Gurugram society basement

GURUGRAM: An 11-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a neighbour at a housing society on Wednesday afternoon, a time of day when the condominium’s cavernous basement is largely empty.
Police said on Thursday they had booked Piyush, a 22-year-old student of a private university, based on a complaint filed by the girl’s mother, under sections of the POCSO Act. The girl studies in a wellknown CBSE school.
Child welfare committee chief Shakuntala Dhull said the girl and the youth knew each other and had connected on Instagram three months ago. She said he had raped her twice before Wednesday. CWC members met the girl for a counselling session.
Piyush, who lives in the same Sector 84 society, has not been arrested yet. Police said he had fled his first-floor flat, where he lived with his elder brother, after he became aware of the complaint. The basement where the alleged rape happened is not covered by CCTV cameras.
With only 6 of 13 towers occupied, basement area has desolate spots
The sprawling society, spread over 23 acres, is only partially complete but 300 families already live in six of the 13 towers that have been delivered to buyers.
ACP (crime against women-south) Shakuntala Yadav said the girl had gone down to the basement to play on Wenesday afternoon and it appeared Piyush was already present there. According to her mother’s statement, he took the 11-year-old by force to a corner and raped her. “The medical report of the girl has confirmed rape and a case has been registered,” said Yadav, adding she had visited the basement and interacted with the girl as well as her family members.
The case was registered late on Wednesday. Other residents of the society said Piyush’s parents, who live in another part of the city, had tried to intervene after the girl’s family raised an alarm and attempts were made to dissuade the girl’s family from filing a complaint. Police did not comment on this but said the case was registered late in the night on Wednesday at the women’s police station in Manesar after the girl’s mother filed a complaint.
Police have also spoken to Piyush’s parents. “We have asked the parents of the accused to produce him before police or else police will do as appropriate,” said Yadav. The girl’s family moved into a 15th-floor flat in the society around 18 months ago and the parents work from home. Piyush had been living in a first-floor rented flat for the last three months. In her statement to the police, the girl’s mother said her daughter had gone to the basement on Wednesday to play, like any other day. “On her return home, she shared her ordeal with us,” she said in the complaint, adding it was essential to take strict action against the youth as his presence was a threat to the safety of other children in the society as well. The common basement is spread over a 1lakh square feet area and most parking slots are vacant. “Most parts of the basement remain empty and in corners, building material and other stuff is stowed. There are certain corners in the basement that are completely isolated,” said a resident who did not wish to be named, adding it was possible for one to go unnoticed there. The condominium was launched in 2008 and was supposed to be completed by 2011. Possession in completed towers was given from mid-2016. “People started moving into the society from October 2016,” said a resident, adding the guards regularly take rounds of the basement. Police have also quizzed the guards.
Divya Vaishnava, director Bachche-Unki Duniya Foundation, who works with Gurugram police, said she will interact with the girl on Friday. “A child’s safety in a community is everyone’s responsibility. I emphasise the role of families and neighborhood support when it comes to child protection. Let’s focus on how we can create safe communities for our children without restricting their natural movements,” she said.